Red Like Roses
by Notsostudmuffin
Summary: Modern Day AU. (Vampire Neo) In the dead of night, Neo finally finds the perfect one for her. Ruby, unfortunately, is that said perfect one.
1. chapter 1

**AN: Hello! Not sure what to say other than this is my first fan fic! Just a disclaimer: I'm not a strong shipper of Ruby and Neo, just did this since it popped in my head. Anyway, don't be afraid to comment since I really wanna know just how I'm doing at this new thing.**

* * *

Ruby sighed as she stepped out of her place of work. Yet another night spent covering someone's shift. She looked to either side, seeing nothing but an empty street, illuminated only by the street lamps and the moonlight.

The scarcity of people told her that it was quite late. She pulled out her Scroll and checked the time; 11:14pm. The realization of the time somehow made her feel even more sleepy than before. She yawned while wondering what time it'd be by the time she arrived home on the other side of Vale. It'd take at least an hour for the subway to take her to the stop she needed to get off, then plus the time it took for her to travel the rest of the way on foot. It was times like these she wished she had a car. But she knew it'd be too expensive for her to keep if she'd just spend her earnings on the gas it took to get to and from work. At least with the subway she could go as far as she needed while only paying a small fee. It had its pros and cons, but she knew it was the best decision until she could get a new job.

Ruby began to walk down the street, heading towards the station. The pebbles under Ruby's foot rolled into the soles of her shoes since she was too tired to put much effort into lifting her legs.

Ahead, the street lamps gave an orange glow. Ruby lifted her head to look at what was in front of her and found that someone was in the sidewalk ahead of her. She hadn't noticed them before, but decided they came from a nearby shop that was closing down. They appeared to be shorter than Ruby which may have just meant they were younger. The person stood still, their attention focused entirely on the street lamp that had moths flying all around its luminescent bulb. Ruby pulled up the hood of her hoodie and kept walking past. Her eyes, hidden in shadow, looking at the person as she walked past.

The light of the lamp shined on one of their eyes, showing its brown color. There was a shift on their attention and Ruby quickly averted her gaze too look straight ahead. Who that was, had clearly noticed Ruby was staring. Even so, Ruby still wasn't sure what the person looked like. All she could tell from what she noticed was that they had been a girl. As she kept walking she kept thinking.

The girl may have been lost, perhaps trying to find her bearings with the streetlamp as a landmark. Ruby knew just how scary it could be walking around alone on the streets at night. This made her stop in her tracks and look back over her shoulder. What she saw wasn't too bad, but still made a chill run up her spin; the girl was no longer looking at the lamp but at Ruby.

Ruby kept her eyes on the girl, their entire body turned towards her. She could tell the girl was looking at her because of the small glint of light coming from their eyes that reflected the stars. It wasn't menacing or intimidating, but Ruby still couldn't help but feel creeped out that the girl had probably been staring at her the whole time she'd walked past. Slowly, the girl tilted her head to the side. This made Ruby immediately look ahead and start to walk again. Again, the girl probably noticed that she had been looking.

In a few minutes, Ruby rounded a corner and started walking slightly quicker. She could see the bright lights ahead, signaling the entrance to the underground railroad. She past empty shops and discarded newspapers on the floor, feeling the cold wind start to pick up. She was just about there when a fast set of footsteps echoed behind her. Scared, Ruby quickly turned around. She saw nothing. Right when she turned, the footsteps suddenly stopped and led to nothing. All she saw was the barren streets, except for a group of friends hanging outside of a liquor store. Other than that, no sign of the girl.

Ruby shook her head, unbelieving that she was still on about that girl. What reason did she truly have to fear of her? All she had done was look at Ruby. No harm.

But still. Nothing could explain the footsteps. The fast, rushing footsteps.

.

.

The machine beeped then lifted the small bars ahead, allowing Ruby to enter into the station. She looked around. Empty. No one but herself was in the station. She found this odd, seeing as there was usually at least some people lounging about. Even though it was weird, Ruby didn't dwell on it. She approached one of the many benches and sat down. The winds blowing through the tunnels have off a howling sound. Ruby tried to tighten the hoodie around herself, attempting to get warmer. Thankfully, not a minute passed by did the train arrive to pick her up.

The doors slide open, showing many people aboard. Without thinking, Ruby sighed in relief. Even though she'd been alone for a few minutes it felt like hours. The sight of other people brought comfort to her.

She walked into the slightly crowded train and stayed standing. Just before the doors closed, Ruby got a glimpse of someone walking down the steps of the entrance. Then the train picked up speed and they were left behind.

Their was the rumbling of the train as it sunk deeper into the tunnels, catching the wind it went against. There was the groaning of the metal, bumping of the tracks, and the occasional chatter from the other people around. The same sound Ruby heard every night. The same night. Just like always.

.

.

Ruby looked at her phone; 12:32am. She groaned, growing more weary every minute. At this time, the train was practically empty now. People filtered off at their own stops, but Ruby always remained since hers was the very last one.

The train arrived to the second to last stop, emptying itself of a couple more passengers. Now Ruby was left alone, aside for two people at the very from of the train.

Sleep finally caught up to Ruby. She tried to fight it off, but then decided that the announcer on the intercom would wake her up. Finally, she started to close her eyes, the sweet feeling of genuine rest sinking into her skin.

Suddenly, the lights went out. Ruby could barely see anything when she suddenly opened her eyes. The darkness didn't yield to her eyes. Blind, Ruby was left helpless to do anything. Almost immediately, the train went into another tunnel. What little Ruby could see before might as well have disappeared from existence.

Amongst the sounds of the train came a new sound; the sound of footsteps. Ruby heard them approach her. They sounded light. She didn't know what to do with that information other than assume the person was small.

Ruby waited, her blood rushing and her nerves telling her to run. But she probably had nothing to run from, not anywhere to run. It could just be one of the two others trying to find something.

The footsteps came close, until they were right in front of Ruby. That's when they stopped.

"H-Hello?" Ruby asked.

The person didn't reply. Instead, their movements suggested they moved to the seats across from Ruby. There was silence again. The deep rumbling of the train. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

Then the lights flickered back on. A girl sat in the seats opposite of Ruby. The girl. What set Ruby off was the fact that she that girl was staring directly at her, as if she had been the entire time it'd been pitch black dark. What Ruby noticed first was her young looks, then her different colored eyes. One being pink and the other being brown. The same went for her hair.

There was no emotion on her face. Not until Ruby looked away, down towards her own legs. The averted gaze caused the girl to smile; not one of sweet innocence, but of mischief. There was a brief moment of this before the lights went out again.

I'm less than a second the light flicker back on. Ruby stole a looo at the girl, expecting to see her looking away. What she didn't expect to see was the girl staring deep into her eyes from only a foot away.

The girl had gotten up in the split second the lights went out and moved up close to Ruby to the point she could feel her breathe.

"Ah!" Ruby yelled and threw her head back, only for it to hit the window. "Ow!"

Ruby shut her eyes in response to the pain resonating through her head. She held a hand up and started rubbing the spot that hurt, feeling a small lump form.

The girl tilted her head to the side, bringing her own hand up and using it to touch Ruby's head. Before she could react to the touch, Ruby felt something wet and slimy trail up her neck and finish on her cheek.

"Wha-?!"

Ruby gasped, jumping to the side to avoid the girl that had just licked her. The girl didn't look at where, but instead seemed to be thinking. The feeling was off putting. Something wasn't right.

The girl licked her lips and put a finger to them. Many thoughts went through her head, all of them involving her new found obsession. Coming to her own conclusion, the girl smiled. This time, with a more innocent look.

Ruby scoot further away. Her expression mixed with shock and embarrassment led to her mumbling her words when she finally mustered the strength to do so. "U-um! W-what was t-that?"

 **It's her. Finally, I've found you again.**

The girl, Neo, turned to where the endearing chime came from. Her smile widened when she found her darling. Her sweet, sweet little red riding hood. Neo leaned forward, trying to corner Ruby against the wall.

 **Don't leave me. Not again.**

Ruby went wide eyed when Neo tried to approach her again. "A-aren't you going to s-say anything?!" The question went unanswered, leaving Ruby to have to sink further into her chair as Neo grew closer. She looked over at the other person in the train, but their back was to her and their head was slumped. Perhaps asleep.

"We are now approaching Ravenholm Station. Our next stop will be Seventh St. Station, which will be our final destination. Please, don't forget to…"

Neo stopped and listened. Ruby used this as an opportunity to escape, and quickly slipped under Neo's arms to exit the train. She staggered away from the exit and quickly turned around just in time to see the doors closing, with Neo behind them.

As the train pulled away, Neo placed her hand on the widow. Her smile wavered, but never fell. When Ruby was out of sight she chuckled to herself before the lights cut out one last time. Then the train was left empty. The only person onboard cold with blood dripping from their neck. It wouldn't be until the final stop would they be presumed dead.

.

.

The streets were more lively downtown. People hung around the dark structures, clubs had steady streams of people going in and out, the occasional homeless person occupied the sidewalk in a slumber. It wasn't all that great of company, but with what had happened Ruby felt safe with others just being nearby.

She couldn't get the look Nei had out of her head. It was so innocent and sweet, it had made her almost want to stay. It wasn't until she looked away had she felt that refound urge to run. Ruby hadn't thought of it before, but the sheer sight of Neo's face and smile had made her act differently. She should've done something to help herself, but Neo had had some sort of hold on her from doing anything. The thought scared her.

The thought of calling Yang crossed her mind, but she was sure her sister was asleep and didn't want to disturb her. She just wanted someone to talk to on this walk home.

Just then, the sounds of fast approaching footsteps made their way to Ruby's ears. She panicked, turning around quickly. A pair of friends rushed past her, their laughter picking up when they went by. Ruby felt short of breath, her experience already taking a toll on her mind.

With no other incidents, Ruby safely made it onto the street in which her apartment resided. Relief washed over her. She happily began to jog the rest of the way to make sure to get enough sleep for school tomorrow at Beacon.

A slow wind blew over the city, filling the air with the sounds of rustling leaves. Then it all suddenly stopped. The crickets that had been chirping before were no longer singing.

Ruby made it to her apartment complex and made her way to the second floor. She pulled out her keys and inserted them into the door. The silence continued, as if holding its breath.

A hand suddenly grabbed Ruby's arm and pulled it away from the doorknob. Confusion first set in when Ruby had her arm held, but then it quickly turned to fear. She looked up and saw Neo hold a finger up to her lips. Ruby didn't want to listen, but she couldn't say anything. In an attempt to escape, she tries to wriggle her arm from Neo's grasp. But Neo had an iron grip.

Ruby wanted to scream for help, for safety, but she was incapacitated somehow. She looked at Neo, into her alluring eyes. Then the feeling of comfort set in, filling her with a weird sensation of warmth. Looking deeper into her eyes, Ruby began to notice that the colors of her eyes had switch sides since the first time she'd seen them. Slowly, her struggling ceased until she was no longer fighting it but giving in.

Neo let go of Ruby's arm. She looked at her, wondering how she'd taste.

No matter how much she didn't want it, Ruby couldn't fight. Somehow, Neo had hypnotized her. Ruby only stood there with a dazed look and smile on her face. Neo leaned forward and kissed Ruby's neck, feeling the warmth of the blood underneath.

Ruby gasped quietly, the sudden feeling bringing pleasure.

Neo smiled widely, her fangs showing. She then held Ruby's chin and placed her lips on Ruby's. Neo held it there, enjoying the feeling of someone else's lips, until Ruby suddenly collapsed into her arms, unconscious.

She giggled to herself, having finally taken her rose. A happy sigh escaped her mouth as she held Ruby's warm body against her own cold one. At this, Neo nibbled down onto Ruby's earlobe, drawing blood. The scarlet liquid dripped down onto the cemented floor.

Neo closed her lips around the small cut and sucked at the wound, tasting her prize. The taste, to her, was sweet and savory. Neo finish taking blood and moaned with glee. She licked at the wound u too it sealed up completely, her spit acting as a healing agent.

Neo held Ruby closer, feeling her heartbeat. It was slow and calm. She then gently placed Ruby down onto the ground, using that position to put her head against Ruby's chest to hear and feel her heart.

A beautiful rhythm that meant life. If only Neo had one, then she'd be normal. If only she hadn't been so careless back then, maybe things would've turned out different. She wouldn't have to do this. She could've been normal again. Maybe, just maybe, she could've had Ruby all to herself but in a different way.

Neo tossed aside these thoughts, knowing that they'd only hurt her more if she thought of them longer. Her thoughts remained on Ruby, the feeling of her heart bringing comfort. She knew that for as long as she lived, she wouldn't allow any harm to come to Ruby. She didn't have much to live for, but Ruby was one exception she wanted until the end.

Her smile fell. She could no longer stay like this now that she finally found who she was looking for all this time. She observed Ruby's peaceful face, it's features so young and beautiful. This only made Neo want her more.

Slowly, the crickets began to sing again, their chirping the only sound being heard by anyone listening. Slowly, Neo bent down and touched her forehead to Ruby's before opening her mouth wide. Her fangs grew half an inch longer, their target being Ruby's neck.

Neo hesitated, wondering if she really had the right to do this even though it was what she'd been working for all this time. Before she could make that decision the porch light turned on, illuminating her and Ruby. She heard the door knob begin to turn.

Yang opened their door, looking around to see nothing. She wiped her eyes as a yawn escaped her mouth. The blonde shrugged and closed the door behind her, pretty sure she'd had heard something.

The crickets finally fully resumed their chirping, and the winds began to pick up again. With no supernatural entity there to affect them, everything returned to normal.

The only evidence of what happened being a drop of Ruby's own blood upon the floor.

* * *

 **AN: So there's that! Hope you guys enjoyed. I'm not really sure if I should continue this, but i might depending on if you guys like it or not. So there's that. Don't be afraid to go all out in the review since I wanna make the most out of my time here. BYE BYE! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you all for the positive remarks on this story! I honestly didn't think it'd do just as well as it is because it's such a weird thing. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't gonna do much about a continuation, but when more people than I thought started liking it I started actually creating a story for this. I'm not sure how many chapters it will be, just a few.**

 **And I know some are here probably for extremely blood thirsty Neo who wrecks havoc upon the innocents, but that's sadly not entirely the case here. I'd like to tell you about the nature of vampires I have in this story, but I'd like that just to become more clear as the story moves along, so I don't just spoon feed you guys/gals everything.**

 **Anyway, I hope you like where this story is going and I hope you can tell me if I do anything wrong(grammar and/or story-wise) because I'd really like to improve at this fan fiction thing.**

* * *

The sun stood high in the sky, just barely starting to make its slow descent down to the horizon again. Down below, two children played, with one's mother nearby to watch.

"Neo, look at me!" A young Ruby at 7 years of age waved over to the silent girl, who was about her age, that was enjoying her time on the swings.

Neo waved back, signifying that she understood. Smiling, Ruby proudly stated, "Watch this!" She then threw herself down the plastic slide belly first. Before making contact with the ground, she tucked and rolled until her got up on her feet.

Ruby stood pridefully while Neo clapped for her friend enthusiastically. Their adolescence making such simple things seem amazing; the sky look pretty, the flowers smelled amazing, the day just could never seem to last.

The wood chips fell from Ruby's clothing as she wiped them off with her hands. Neo jumped from the swing and playfully hugged Ruby before helping remove the chips.

"Thank you," Ruby said sweetly when all was done. In response, Neo held Ruby's hand and gently tugged her towards a grassy field a short ways away from the small park.

It was a wonderful past time for them both; playing together. Their friendship being the only thing they cherished more than sugary sweets. Ruby didn't hide her excitement when Neo eagerly pulled at her friend. She turned to her mother who was babysitting them. Summer cherished their looks of blissful happiness, knowing she couldn't say no. And with that, she nodded.

"Just don't go too far. I want you two back before it gets dark, okay?" Her worry for the two girls didn't bother Summer for she knew that they were capable of knowing what to do and not do.

Ruby held Neo's hands in her own two, "Okay, mommy!" She turned to Neo, who had a bit of pink tinting her cheeks. "Come on, Neo!"

It turned into a race as to who would get to the grassy plains first, the bright, alluring colors of the flowers catching their eyes.

Suddenly, the world before them warped and seemed to melt. Ruby stopped running and looked to where Neo had been following her, but found no one in sight. Looking back, everything had begun to fade away as more pieces of reality broke apart. What was left was nothing more than unending darkness, a pitch black void. The final bits of what she knew to be real faded away, leaving her in a desolate world where she was nothing, and also everything. Fear of being alone set in. Ruby couldn't handle this feeling of abandonment. What was happening? Where had everybody gone? Why couldn't she talk?

A crunching sound to her right attracted her attention. She found a large stretch of trees, unearthing themselves from the unseeable ground, the spacing between each overgrown giant being a foot or so. While the trees seemed real they gave no sign of being alive. The wilting branches were bare of any of their leaves while the bark itself seemed to be dying. A gust of wind blew from the trees and swirled around Ruby, trying to pull her towards the forest. Ruby held up her arms to shield herself from the forceful winds.

The strong winds threatened to throw her, but Ruby was able to stay where she was. The gusts slowly died out, dispersing into nothing. At this, Ruby lowered her arms and looking at the forest. She saw Neo, her small figure was microscopic compared to the trees surrounding her.

Neo gave no acknowledgement of Ruby, her face neutral and unmoving.

"Neo?!" Ruby called out.

Whether she heard Ruby or not, this Neo gave no notion. She looked to her left and right before turning and then walking into the dying forest.

"Neo!" Ruby called out again. She didn't understand why her friend wasn't answering. Frightened of the whole situation, Ruby wanted nothing more than to run and find her mother again. However, she couldn't just leave Neo by herself in there. Plus, she was scared of tryouts no to find anyone in the darkness that was this world.

A tear created from fear fell from Ruby's eyes as she took her first steps and ran to the forest.

Ruby tried calling out Neo every few seconds to get her attention, "NEO!" She reached the edge of the forest and hesitated. Looking up, she saw the every going length of the trees that seemed to travel to space. A small wind tickled her hair, a howling accompanying it as it blowed between the trees. She looked back once more, seeing absolutely nothing, before bolting into the forest.

Desperate, Ruby flew between the trees, racing past like her life depended on it. She called out for Neo, trying her best to find her. It was quiet, eerily quiet. The winds had stopped. She ran and ran, more tears streaming down her face.

What if she didn't find Neo? What if she got lost? Was Ruby to blame? Who would find her? Would anyone find her? Why was this happening to her?

The water falling from Ruby's eyes blinded her, causing her miss to accidentally trip on a root. She yelled loudly as she fell hard, scraping up her chin and hands. To her young age, the pain was almost unbearable. Her sensitive nature causing the wounds to seem much worse than they actually were. She laid still where she fell for a minute, bawling her eyes out. Now her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

After a minute, Ruby was able to get onto her knees and lift her hands to find them scratched up and bleeding, a hot feeling radiating from them. More tears fell at the sight of her own blood.

She wanted to cry for her mother, but knew that she wouldn't be heard. She was too far into the forest. Looking up, Ruby saw someone sitting on the floor against a tree.

"NEO!"

Ruby shouted desperately at the young girl, trying to get her attention. While doing so, she forgot entirely of her own agony and went to confront Neo. She wanted to ask many questions, one being why she didn't come when she called fire her so many times.

Her small legs beginning to give from exhaustion, Ruby fell her knees before Neo.

"Neo." Ruby looked at Neo, whose head was down. Concern set in when the girl didn't answer. "Neo?" She reached forward.

Neo suddenly grabbed onto Ruby's wrist. Ruby winched in pain since the strength behind the grip was immense. Her head also shot up, an evil smile on her face that was unlike her.

Ruby tried to pry her wrist away, but to no avail. "O-ow! Neo, please stop! You're hurting me!"

Neo's smile fell, her expression changing to that of worry and regret. However, that all disappeared. Neo smiled and then shot her head forward, small fangs forming in her mouth. She pulled Ruby close, her newly formed fangs itching for blood.

* * *

Ruby suddenly woke in a cold sweat. She grabbed her chest and tried to calm down. She didn't remember the nightmare she'd just had, but it had definitely been about Neo if she was this unnerved. The dark smile and her sharp eyes were what stuck with her most of all.

"What happened?" Ruby rubbed her eyes, trying to recollect the memories of last night. What was the last thing that had happened. She remembered arriving home, but after that was foggy. After Neo grabbed her arm she couldn't remember much. That's when it hit her.

Ruby shot her head up and observed her surroundings. She laid on a twin bed, that sat between two nightstands. Up front, next to the exit, there was a desk with drawers situation to it right. Another door was placed to her right. Then to her left was the only window, showing the scene of a house next door. Where those doors led, Ruby didn't know. Nothing was familiar. Fear now flooded into her system. It was then that she realized she'd been possibly kidnapped.

Not surprisingly, Ruby had never really been kidnapped. So this was a first. But weren't people who were kidnapped taken somewhere off the radar? This looked like any other room a home would have. Ruby removed the blanket from herself, taking note that someone had taken the time to tuck her in.

It was bizarre, like she hadn't in fact been taken away. It felt more like she was sleeping over at another friend's house instead of a kidnappers. Still, Ruby knew she couldn't underestimate them. The Neo girl was probably sick and twisted, giving her the illusion of freedom before subjecting her to a world of torment.

Slowly as to not make a noise, Ruby carried herself off the bed. She looked down at herself and almost gasped; she wasn't wearing the same clothes. She became embarrassed at the thought of anyone removing her clothes, without her knowing, to put her in something else. She feared something else and checked her undergarments. Gladly, no one had changed those.

First thing first; escape. Whether she was in a basement or in a nice room, Ruby knew she was kidnapped. She didn't want to hang around her long. She made her way to the window and attempted to open it. She slid it unlocked and attempted to lift it up, but to no avail. It was stuck somehow. Ruby attempted to open it for a few minutes before giving up. She tried to break it, but that didn't work either. Neo had been prepared, replacing the frail glass with a stronger kind.

No other options were left besides finding the exit. Ruby tried the first door that had been in front of her bed. It opened up to a bathroom. It was neatly kept and had a sort of homey feel to it. Ruby closed the door.

She tried the other door, knowing it had to be the exit. She reached for the doorknob, not expecting it turn when it did. The door opened and Neo came in with a tray in her hand. Neo stopped when she saw Ruby in front. A sweet smile graced her lips as she signed with her free hand. _Good morning._

Ruby was rusty, since she hadn't used the sign language for about ten whole years. Why she even learned it, she had no idea. She couldn't remember having known anyone that was deaf. She couldn't remember how to sign, but somehow she was still able to somewhat tell what she was saying.

Despite the polite gesture, Ruby still had red flag about Neo. "Um, g-good morning to you too?"

Neo nodded. Without worry, she carried the tray over to the bed and set it down. She then sat down and looked at Ruby, patting the spot next to her.

Ruby didn't want to. She looked at Neo, noticing that when she looked into her eyes she no longer felt like she wasn't in control of her body. She looked at the door, thinking of running for it. But first…

"Who are you?" Ruby asked, glaring at the mute.

Neo grimaced. It was the first time Ruby noticed any negative emotion displayed by the girl. Plus, her reaction told her that she thankfully didn't need to use sign language to communicate since she heard her.

 _You don't…...remember me at all?_ Neo signed slowly, making it was obvious to Ruby that she wasn't happy with her question for some reason.

"No." Ruby studied the girl and her actions. She didn't seem to be the same person she'd met last night at all. Today, Neo didn't seem as creepy or out of the ordinary. "Should I?"

There were a few seconds of silence as Neo just looked at her hands and Ruby looked at Neo. Z

"I want to go home."

Neo grimaced again. She couldn't let it happen like this. Not until she could tell herself that she at least tried. She looked up at Ruby, the redhead's eyes filled with uncertainty. She wanted then to look at her differently. And if they didn't she wouldn't know what she'd do.

 _I'm sorry. But I can't let you leave. I made a promise to someone._

"Promise? A promise to kidnap me?"

Neo shook her head. _No. That'd just be weird._

Ruby crossed her arms. She had no intention of staying. Neo seemed to be casual about this, so maybe Ruby could take advantage of that. If she just played along with this then maybe she'd be able to leave this house and scream for help.

Ruby started gingerly walking towards Neo, asking, "W-what kind of promise?" She looked over at the tray and nearly had a heart attack. It was a simple breakfast; pancakes, eggs and bacon. But what made it what it was were two things. The pancakes were in the shape of hearts with powdered sugar sprinkled on top with strawberries and the eggs were scrambled. It was Ruby's favorite style of breakfast, or at least it was when she was younger.

* * *

" _Is Neo okay?"_

" _Who?"_

" _Neo. Is Neo okay?"_

" _Yang, I don't know who you're talking about."_

* * *

Yang had once mentioned someone. Someone from a long time ago. Someone she could never remember. Even when they lowered Neo's body down onto the ground, Ruby felt she'd never seen her in her life.

Looking back up, Ruby now recognized her. Neo's pale skin, deathly cold, and her brown and pink hair. It was the girl that had been buried ten years ago. It was the girl she'd felt she'd never know, but was told by others they were inseparable.

A pain struck Ruby. She suddenly felt nauseous, her feelings become mixed. She was talking to a corpse. She saw her get buried. She saw the article of her body being found in the forest. She witnessed her own mother cry as Nei was like a daughter to her. She was there for everything. Everything had been about Neo, but who was she? That had been her name. She remembered it now. How could she, the name in itself had brought sadness to her mother and Neo's mother every time they'd heard it.

And so Ruby stared at the mute, her hands clenched. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she took a step forward. "Can you….can you tell me your name?"

 _N.E.O._

* * *

"Aren't the flowers so pretty, Neo?"

Neo looked up at Ruby, her young hands filled with plucked flowers. The beautiful colors stood out so much it was impossible to call them ugly. Neo could only nod vigorously as she, herself, plucked a few for herself.


	3. Chapter 3

**UPDATE!**

I'm so, so, so sorry this is taking so long to update ^~^

I've been a bit busy getting ready for college and some hanging out with friends before we go our separate ways to different schools. This is honestly a cool milestone in my life and I can't wait to start it!

Plus, I've recently started a friendship with Redlikeroses7, a fellow fan fic author here. We've been trading ideas and talking about helping eachother out and that's just what we're doing. I'm happy to say that I've officially taken part in his _Before Beacon_ story as co-writer. And in return he'll help me with the story and writing of _Red Like Roses_. We've gone over some ideas as to how long it'll be, but we're not sure where to end it. And since we live only a couple cities from eachother, he wants to meet up soon to "discuss plans." But it may just be to kidnap me or something.

In short, I'll be back in no time and look forward to a future update!

P.S: If I don't update within a month then that means Roses kidnapped me.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hello again! I'm back and alive! I hope you like this chapter now that things are starting to roll along. I also got major help from Redlikeroses7 as my new co-author. With his help I've been able to finally flesh out what will happen in this story. Check him out for another story called Before Beacon that I'm also helping him with as co-author! Until next time, BYE!**

* * *

"Do you promise that when we get older we'll still always be together?"

 _I promise._

* * *

 _N. E. O._

Ruby froze. It was just as she had feared. The girl in front of her should still be six feet under. It'd been almost ten years since she witnessed the girl being lowered into the dirt. So how was it she was right here? How was she alive? Her face twisted with confusion then pain. It all didn't make sense. Nothing that was happening wasn't connecting. Why was this presumed dead girl kidnapping her, why was she so calm about this, why wasn't she, Ruby, running right now? She wanted nothing more than to escape this Twilight Zone, but knew she had to get answers.

As Neo studied Ruby's facial reaction, Ruby asked, "How? How can you be alive? I saw you in a coffin, getting covered with dirt."

Neo paused before answering. _It's complicated._

"My….my sister told me stories about you," Ruby began. "She told me we were best friends. That we were inseparable. So why is it I don't remember that? Why can't I remember such a big thing in my life?!"

 _That's also complicated._

Ruby began to sense a pattern here. If Neo wasn't going to give her any answers then she'd have to find them out for herself. But until then, she'd continued to find Neo's reasoning.

"Why did you bring me here, Neo?"

Neo smiled guiltily. _I may have jumped the gun a bit when I found you. But I still have to fulfill that promise I made to you a long time ago._

"What's that mean? Everything you've told me so far makes little to no sense!"

Neo cowered under Ruby's slightly raised voice. But she immediately regained her posture and signed, _I've never explained this before so I'm not sure what to say._

Ruby came closer to Neo, becoming more desperate for an explanation than her own safety. "Then just say it. You don't have to explain. Say the first things that come to mind."

There were a few seconds of silence before Neo stopped twiddling her thumbs and answered.

 _I'm a vampire._ A blush formed on Neo's face.

Ruby's eyebrows furrowed. She was unfamiliar with the sign, being Neo putting a couple fingers to her neck. "What's that? I don't know what that sign means."

Nei sighed and took a phone out. Ruby's phone. She typed the word out and handed it to Ruby.

"Vampire," Ruby repeated. She looked up, more confused than she was before. This had to be a joke of some kind. Of course, that had to be no such thing as vampires. It was impossible, wasn't it? They were just mythical creatures that prowled the night, right?

But even though these thoughts ran through her head, Ruby couldn't help but remember the Neo she met last night. The creepy, hypnotizing Neo that was wandering the night.

Ruby smirked. There was no way it was real. Neo was probably just wasting her time. She pocketed her phone and waved. "Well, Neo, it's been an interesting night and morning, but I think I've heard enough for today." She turned. "I'll be sure to tell Yang you said hi."

As she turned, Neo disappeared and then reappeared in front of the exit. Ruby saw this and took a step back in surprise

Neo shook her head with a desperate look on her face. _You can't tell anyone._

Ruby smiled. "Well, it's a good thing, right? Everyone's be happy you're alive!" She looked around the room. "Now that I think about it, how are you doing this?"

 _Do what?_

"The disappearing and reappearing stuff. You did it last night too."

Neo rolled her eyes. _Because I'm a vampire._

A thought crossed Ruby's mind. She stepped on the flooring next to her, as if trying to find something. "So, like, a magic trick or something?"

Neo lifted her hands to 'say' something, but thought against it. Instead, she snapped her fingers. The door to the room slammed open. This surprised even Neo, who innocently looked behind the door to make sure the doorknob didn't dent the wall. She huffed in content when no damage was present.

A question was about to make its way out of Ruby's mouth, but Neo stopped her by grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room. From what Ruby saw as she was dragged along by Neo's tight grip, Neo lived in a lovely house. They walked down a hallway, passing by a kitchen and dining room. Their short walk ended up in the living room, next to the door leading outside. I'm what short time she was in there Ruby noticed that every framed picture that was hung up onto the walls were empty except for the pictures that were there for displays, the barcodes obviously being seen.

"Where are we going?" Ruby asked.

Neo gave Ruby a smirk. She opened the front door and led her outside. It was an unfamiliar neighborhood to Ruby, meaning they could've been anywhere. Despite having been actually kidnapped, one thing that wasn't on her mind was running. So far, Neo had been welcoming and harmless. This didn't make Ruby forget entirely about her situation, but it still did make her cautious.

Neo turned around to face Ruby. She laced her fingers between Ruby's, smiling at the feeling, and winked. Not wasting a second, Neo wrapped Ruby in a tight hug. The world around them suddenly warped. Colors blended together, sucking the light with it until they were in darkness. And just like that, the world returned to normal. Neo released Ruby from her bear hug.

A sudden feeling of weakness hit Ruby, almost making her legs completely give out. Neo was there to catch Ruby in case she did start to fall to the floor.

"I-I'm okay," Ruby assured Neo. She looked up, wondering what had happened. To her surprise and horror, they were outside of Beacon Academy. If this meant what it meant, then Ruby was even more freaked out. Not only did Neo just prove she was a supernatural entity, but that she also knew where she was going to school. "How long have you been stalking me?!"

Neo was taken by surprise from the accusation. She almost broke her own neck from shaking her head. She held her hands up, signaling for Ruby to stay where she was.

"Wha-?" But before Ruby could finish, Neo was already gone. In the blink of an eye, Neo disappeared. And before she could take another, Neo returned with a red satchel in hand, Ruby's school bag.

Neo fished in the bag and produced Ruby's wallet, opening it to show her student ID as the first card up front.

Fuming, Ruby snatched her wallet from Neo's hand. "You even went through my stuff?" She then lowered her voice since she was attracting attention. "That is totally not cool. Not cool, Neo."

Neo shrugged, smiling at Ruby's agitation.

 _So where we headed?_

"We? You're not honestly coming to class with me, are you?"

In response, Neo nodded. She put a finger to her mouth and walked forward, looking around at the many buildings with interest as if trying to figure out what was what.

Ruby jogged to catch up to Neo, seeing that the nite wasn't going to let up. "You don't even know where you're going!"

Smiling, Neo signed _Then maybe you can be my guide._

Sighing, Ruby shook her head in disbelief. Her thoughts were full of many things, all of which were about Neo. Very slowly, her memories of their childhood came back to her. As of now, she could only remember Neo being by her side all the time at school, but still had yet to remember just how deep their relationship ran. She wanted to know who Neo was to her as a kid. She wanted to know why she couldn't remember, and everyone else did.

Looking back up, Ruby caught sight of Neo happily taking in the sights. From the beautifully structured buildings to the modern art sculptures donated by people scattered around the grounds, Neo took it all in. At one point, Neo even waved to a passing student that was looking at her hair. Looking again, Ruby could see the innocence in her smile. No act, just pure joy.

Was she the cause? Neo had stated that they'd made a promise before. Was this it? To one day reunite? No matter how much Ruby raked her brain, she couldn't remember. But looking up at Neo, Ruby couldn't help but smile herself. She may not be familiar with Neo, but she had a feeling she wasn't afraid to get to know her a second time.

* * *

"And so, without a second thought, I vanquished the beast! Their malicious thoughts were no longer the second I showed my true valor! My bravery alone got me out of that situation alive, and I'll be damned if anyone tells me otherwise! Threw them from my life, I did!"

A boy in the front of the class cleared his throat before asking, "Uh, Professor Port?"

Port excused himself from speaking. "Yes, Jaune Arc?"

Jaune nervously replied, "I'm not sure if during class is an appropriate time to talk about your ex's."

"Huh? Oh, oh, yes. I'm sorry, class. Where were we?"

In the back of the class, Ruby was sat second to last at the end of the aisle. And next to her was Neo. While Ruby had her full attention to the front, Neo was more interested in the pencil she was playing with. As Port continued his lecture, Neo continued to try and balance the pencil on her nose. She lost the perfect spot and accidentally let the pencil fall, landing in Ruby's notebook.

Ruby glared at the spot Neo had just been sitting in but found nothing. She looked at the end of the aisle to find Neo's eyes looking at her from over the side. With a smile and a wave, Neo made it clear she knew Ruby saw her. Neo happily sat back down in her seat, scooting closer to Ruby.

Ruby continued to listen to Port. She wrote down anything she deemed important while having her Scroll record everything since she would'nt be able to get everything down.

Bored, Neo peered over at Ruby's notebook. She took in her small hands, imagining them in her own. She bet they were soft and warm, like any humans skin. But she was sure Ruby's would be different. Aside from Neo's colder and firmer skin, she was sure Ruby's was perfect. She found herself thinking about more than just Ruby's skin. Her eyes traveled up from her hands to her neck. Just from where she was sitting she could feel Ruby's blood rushing through it. The pumping had a rhythm to it, like music. It set Neo at ease, as if it were a simple melody of chimes.

Suddenly, Neo realized that the reason she could feel Ruby because she'd lost control of herself and started to Ruby's neck and cheek. Neo pulled away quickly, her face now completely red. She looked at away, only glancing at Ruby's face who was staring at her notebook but not writing anything.

After a few seconds, Ruby calmed down her heartbeat and looked at Neo. She noticed the blush, somehow becoming embarrassed by it. She went back to her notebook, but could no longer pay complete attention to Port.

Half and hour passed when Ruby was passed a folded piece of paper from Neo. She looked over at the vampire, who wasn't in her seat anymore. Ruby looked all around, but couldn't find her. When she deemed she probably left the class she opened the note. In it was just a few words.

 _Sorry x3_

 _-Neo_

Ruby smirked, finding it cute. She looked back at the spot next to her, weirdly hoping Neo would be back. However, she wasn't. She was just about to get back to taking notes when something landed on her desk. After inspecting it she noticed it was a pebble. Looking around, she wondered who it was that had thrown the small object when another one suddenly struck again. This time she looked up at one of the many windows lining up near the ceiling. And there, peeking into the window, was Neo.

Shocked, Ruby urgently made signals for Neo to get down.

 _I'll see you later,_ Neo signed. _I'm gonna be a bit._

Ruby signed back, _What? Where are you going?_

 _Gonna see a friend of mine. I'll meet up with you later._

Friend? Despite Neo being somewhat normal for a vampire, she found it weird she had friends. But of course, she would have friends. Everyone has friends, right? Even vampires had to have vampire friends she imagined.

* * *

After class was dismissed, Ruby went against her better judgment and actually went looking for Neo. Her features were distinct so she'd be easy to spot at a distance, but Ruby was never able to find her. After what seemed like almost an hour, Ruby gave up looking. She ended up going down to the cafeteria where her sister and friends, Blake and Weiss, were hanging out.

"There you are!" Yang shouted with relief, taking her feet off the table, when Ruby made her appearance in the group. "What took you so long?"

"I was…. just busy with something," Ruby answered. She wasn't sure if she should mention Neo or not. Clearly, she'd want to keep her being alive a secret. And with Yang being one of the people who knew all about who she was and what happened then it would vote well for Neo if Yang knew.

Weiss rolled her eyes, knowing Ruby was clearly hiding something. "So," she began, "How were you and your friend last night?"

"Huh?" Ruby was taken aback by the question. How could Weiss have possibly known she was Neo?

Blake looked at Ruby suspiciously. "Your friend. Yang told us that you texted her this morning saying you'd been at a friend's. And that's why you didn't come home."

"Eh? Ah, well," Ruby began to become even more nervous. At this moment she suddenly realized that all their eyes were on her. She in no way planned for this and didn't know how to get out of it. Their burning looks began to evaporate any sort of courage she had left. "Oh, t-that's right, yeah, my friend and I were studying."

Yang rubbed her chin, as if I'm deep thought. "Studying, huh? You get off work pretty late and you start school early in the morning. So during when do you find the time to study and sleep?"

Ruby began to sweat. "We found the t-time. Really short though."

Weiss nodded. "Hm, I bet. Anyway, what's his name?"

"His?"

Yang leaned back in her chair, satisfied with how much they were getting out of her sister. "Ah, so it's a her."

"I didn't say that."

"You might as well have," Blake stated. Yang acknowledged Blake with a snap and a point of a thumb.

Now desperate for a way out, Ruby excused herself to the bathroom. As she left, Weiss turned to Yang.

"Do you think we went on her too strong?" Weiss asked.

Yang looked away from the book Blake was reading and scratch her head. "Maybe just a little, but she's my sister so it's okay."

They talked about it further until Ruby returned. The second she came back, Yang said in a supportive tone, "Now, Ruby, I know you're hitting that part of your life where you want to _experiment_ with people you're in a relationship with. But if you ever want to talk about it, we're here for you."

Ruby was even more horrified now than ever. She went to the bathroom to forget about what had happened and now the second she comes back it's only gotten worse. Without a second thought, she excused herself yet again. "T-Thanks, But I have to go. I forgot to ask Port a question about my essay." And just like that, Ruby made a bee line for the exit.

"That went well," Yang said with a smile.

Weiss opened her mouth to say something, an agitated look on her face, but quickly closed it.

Slowly, Yang's smile fell into a frown as she watched Ruby walk away from the cafeteria. Something was wrong. And being her big sister she was going to find out what it was.

* * *

Cardin Winchester, star player and captain of Beacon's football team, was more than just a pretty face. His family's background of fame and fortune in business allowed him to be raised in riches. Believing he was always better than the average person, Cardin would take it upon himself to make sure they knew that.

Hiding behind the fact that his father and his money could bail him out of most situations, Cardin found that antagonizing his fellow classmates was just what he needed to make it clear he was better than anyone. Besides his two friends, every student was a potential subject to his arrogance and overwhelming ego.

He lived his life like he wanted. Every minimal crime was covered up, any instance of bullying was ignored, and almost any item he desired was easily obtained by his father. He was a tyrant among kings. But with every tyrant, there's someone willing to kill them.

After football practice, Cardin showered and packed up his stuff. He walked through the field to leave between the bleachers. His mind previously distracted by his phone, he looked up to see a figure ahead of him. Despite the large floodlights illuminating the entire field, no light seemed to penetrate the figure ahead.

Cardin took no note of this, however.

"What's up?!" He called out to the figure, casually walking towards it. It was obviously shorter than Cardin and didn't seem to be anywhere near as built as him. So, naturally, this gave him the illusion that he had nothing to worry about. He kept walking until he was right in front of it. At this range he could clearly see it was wearing a black cloak with a hood, not allowing Cardin to see any features about the figure.

"You gonna get outta my way, freak?" Cardin was getting impatient when the person refused to move out of his way as he approached.

After being spoken to, the person slowly lifted their head to look at Cardin, the light showing their closed mouth.

Scoffing, Cardin started to mock the person by hitting his knuckles against their head. "Hello? Earth to idiot. Anyone want their face caved in?"

At this point, Cardin was getting annoyed, but what really agitated him was when the person smiled at the threat. The football star took it as a mocking smile, himself getting more and more irritated.

"Last chance, loser." Cardin shoved the person with a hand, making them take a step back. However, they recovered quickly and came back to stand in front of him. "That's it. Come here."

Cardin attempted to grab the person, but was too slow. The hooded person quickly stepped back and watched him grab air. This time, Cardin wasn't playing any games. He was going to squeeze the life out of them. As fast as he could, he dashed forward. He opened his massive arms to wrap the figure in a bear hug, but was too slow again. The figure had ducked under his arms and stepped behind him.

When Cardin turned, he found that the person was shaking a bit with their mouth struggling to keep in their laughter. From where he was, Cardin turned and threw a punch.

However, his fist was caught by the person, Theo hand wrapped around his fist. The part that shocked Cardin was the fact that they had caught his punch as easy as if it were a baseball. Any other person would've had their hand broken, but the person had caught it like it were nothing.

Then, to his horror, Cardin started to feel the person squeeze his fist. It had begun as a weak grab, but now it was starting to hurt. Cardin attempted to tear his fist away from the person, but wasn't able to do anything. No matter how much he pulled and jerked, the person never even budged an inch.

Slowly, it started to hurt more and more. Cardin's hand was being brutally crushed at this point. He took to punching the person as the fingers on his other hand started to pop out of their sockets.

When his punches seemed to have literally no effect on the person, Cardin whimpered as his hand was being destroyed. Finally, he couldn't handle the torture any longer. He shed tears as the first scream of pain escaped his mouth. The second he let the scream loose, the person closed their hand even tighter, almost to its limit, and completely destroyed his hand. In that second, one could hear his bones snap several times.

Then, before Cardin could scream out in pain even louder than before, the person grabbed his throat and lifted him off the ground.

His mind jumbled by so many things happening at once, Cardin was unable to think clearly. His hand was hurting more than anything, he couldn't breathe, he was being lifted up by someone smaller than him, none of it made sense, it all went against what he would've expected from a fight against someone. But it wouldn't worry him much longer.

The figure pulled out a kitchen knife and stabbed it hilt deep into Cardin's neck. As his blood escaped his body like a waterfall, Cardin stopped struggling, but the small sounds coming from his mouth meant he was still struggling on what thin thread of life he still had left. The person finally dropped Cardin to the floor, following with him.

The last thing Cardin saw was the monster of a person cup their hands to the wound and drink what blood they'd caught in their palms. He looked at them drinking, noticing they were looking into his eyes. He saw the green glimmer before his vision faded and he passed on.

After Cardin's death, the figure cranes their neck to drink straight from the wound. However, campus security started to close in, their response to Cardin's scream. The figure escaped before they were noticed. From the top of the scoreboard, the figure licked their bloody fingers clean as they watched security find the awful sight of what used to be Cardin Winchester.

* * *

A younger Neo nodded when Ruby finished her question.

 _I promise._

In response, Ruby smiled and extended her hand out. "Pinky promise?"

A younger Neo smiled as well, wrapping her small pinky around Ruby's.


End file.
